The Time Turner
by MerlinEmrys22
Summary: When Merlin breaks a Time Turner, taking Arthur with him through time, they arrive in 1996, at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
1. Chapter 1

**I have too many stories going at once. Sorry about that.**

**This one's a Merlin and Harry Potter crossover- probably the same as most that have been done, but meh. It's fun to write.**

**And yes, Professor Lupin teaches in their sixth year now, I wanted to include him somewhere. :3**

* * *

The golden hourglass, encased in a circle of the same metal on a necklace, was spinning slowly as Gaius looked at it. It was a shiny, perfectly clean item of jewellery, with a sense of magic about it.

"These symbols would appear to be of the Old Religion engraved on the edges." he muttered, turning it over in his hand. "Everything about it seems to point to time travel."

"Should I show it to Arthur?" Merlin asked. Arthur knowing about his magic really helped in these situations, he found- instead of hiding every sinister magical object they found, Merlin could actually tell him about, and pretend to have an idea of what it was.

"Yes, my boy. Go and show him now." Gaius said, holding it out for the young warlock to take and looking confused. Merlin grinned, taking it and keeping it in his hand as he ran down to King Arthur's chambers, as he had so many times in his time as manservant to the blonde King.

"Arthur, look-" he went to open the door, but the king was already opening it, and Merlin fell into the room onto his face.

Getting up, he thought nothing of it until he saw the smashed necklace on the floor, an odd glow around it, and groaned.

"Merlin, what's that?"

"It _was _a necklace-"

"And it's glowing. Please don't tell me this is something very, very bad-"

The tiny sand granules that had been inside the hourglass started to fly up, as if some force of wind had pushed them out of the broken glass, and swirled around them, and Arthur stopped speaking abruptly before starting again.

"Merlin, what's going on?"

"I don't know-"

Merlin was cut off as everything went bright, the world seeming to spin around them, flashing molten gold. Then all he saw was darkness.

* * *

"Professor, something just crashed outside the door." Dean Thomas said, sitting near the back of the room near the door to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom filled with sixteen year olds.

Professor Lupin frowned, going to the door to investigate- there were too many odd things happening lately, mostly connected with Lord Voldemort or the Death Eaters. As he opened it, he saw two men lying on the floor, dressed in curious clothes, seemingly unconscious.

"Hermione, could you go and get Professor Dumbledore? He should be in his office."

The bushy-haired girl got up, leaving the room and treading carefully around the two men, surprised. "How do you think they got here?"

"I have no idea. By the way they're dressed, I would assume time travel, though they don't have a Time Turner with them." He frowned, confused. One man was dressed in a simple jacket, with a neckerchief, and had dark hair. The other was blonde, dressed in finer quality clothes, and had a sword at his hip.

Hermione looked at them once more, then ran down the corridor to Professor Dumbledore's office, chestnut curls flying behind her.

Professor Lupin looked at the two men, crouched next to them, before lightly tapping one of them on the forehead with his wand. The man he'd poked- a dark-haired, skinny lad who couldn't be more than twenty- moved slightly, before opening his eyes.

He sat up, as Professor Lupin moved back slightly. "Where am I?"

Professor Lupin smiled at him, trying to calm him a little. "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

The man narrowed his eyes. "What year is it?"

"1996."

The man groaned, looking at his friend, who was still unconscious. "Arthur is going to kill me on the spot when he wakes up and hears that."

Lupin laughed lightly. "What's your name?"

"Merlin. Merlin Ambrosius."

Lupin's eyes widened slightly. "Merlin, as in the sorcerer Merlin?"

He nodded slowly, confused. "I'm from Camelot."

Lupin looked up as Dumbledore appeared with Hermione. "I see. Well. Perhaps Professor Dumbledore can help us with this."

* * *

"So, you two are from the year 542, you tell me."

Merlin nodded slowly, avoiding the death glare he was getting from Arthur, and the inquisitive stare from the old man he'd been told was named 'Professor Dumbledore'.

"How did you get here?"

"There was a necklace." Merlin started. "An hourglass, with a gold circle around it-"

"And Merlin dropped it and ruined everything." Arthur finished.

Dumbledore chuckled, an amused twinkle in his eye. "I see. I assume that is how you ended up here."

Merlin nodded. "We didn't mean to. I hope it isn't too much trouble."

Dumbledore smiled. "Of course not. I think..." he paused for a moment, looking at the two men. "Perhaps you could pass for seventh-years, or even sixth-years, with a little magical help. That way, you could stay here whilst we find a more suitable solution than simply smashing a Time Turner."

Merlin flushed a little red, as Arthur stared at Dumbledore. "You've forgotten I have no magical power."

Dumbledore smiled crookedly. "That can be solved." With a wave of his wand, Arthur felt his body change, from one of a non-magical person to a warlock. He felt the magic coursing through his veins, and stood up, confused.

"What's happened?"

"You have magic." Dumbledore said simply. "Now you can attend Hogwarts as a sixth-year student, along with Merlin here. I shall just have to de-age you slightly."


	2. Chapter 2

**_Woah, three reviews on one chapter already? Thank you so much! You guys rock c:_**

**_I know, I know, so many technical problems here, but let's assume there's two extra people of each gender in each year. Just for this. =^-^=_**

* * *

Arthur scowled as he looked in the mirror. "I look funny."

Merlin concealed a laugh as the young king turned around, in his new Hogwarts uniform and now younger. It was an odd look, sixteen-year-old Arthur, but he was sure the blonde boy thought the same of him.

"I like the tie."

"Thank you, Merlin, I hope never to hear that again."

Merlin grinned, adjusting his own tie. "Dumbledore says we'll be in Gryffindor, which is why we're in the boys' dorm in their tower."

"What's Gryffindor?"

"One of the four houses."

"This is a castle, Merlin, not a house. I thought you were supposedly clever."

Merlin had to resist the urge to bang his head against the wall. "It's a way of determining which classes we'll be in, and where we sleep, and our uniforms, and sports teams if you join. Based on our personalities."

"And what is this Gryffindor personality?"

"Brave," Merlin thought, trying to remember what Dumbledore had said, "protective, a little headstrong, and reckless."

"Brave? I like that."

"We're only in this house because it's the only one with space." Merlin sighed. He would have quite liked to be in studious Ravenclaw, otherwise.

Arthur looked a little crestfallen. "Oh. I see." Merlin felt slightly bad about telling him that part, but he guessed the king would have figured it out himself. He turned around sharply as there was a noise behind them, and the door opened to reveal two other boys.

One was red-haired, tall and looked confused, and the other had jet-black hair and round glasses. He looked surprised, but evidently remembered something. He had a scar on his forehead, shaped curiously like a lightning bolt. Merlin wondered how he'd got it.

"Oh. You two must be Merlin and Arthur. Professor McGonagall said you'd be arriving today."

Merlin nodded. "Hello. I'm Merlin."

The boy with glasses grinned at him. "I'm Harry."

Arthur nearly tripped over the corner of the bed as he turned around. "I'm Arthur."

Harry laughed. "Nice to meet you."

The redhead behind Harry smiled, stepping forward. "I'm Ron Weasley."

"Pleasure to meet you." Arthur said.

"Where are you guys from?" Harry asked curiously. "I mean, you're British, but the only magic school here is Hogwarts."

"Ca-"

"Durmstrang." Merlin interjected. "We moved back here this year, but we could only join school a few weeks into this term." Dumbledore's cover story seemed to work, as Harry just smiled, evidently believing it.

"Awesome. Are you guys related?"

"Cousins." Arthur said. Merlin was impressed he'd remembered.

"Mm. You have the same kind of eyes, actually." Ron said. Merlin tried not to laugh. They really did believe their story.

"We're in Gryffindor..." Merlin said. "Who else is?"

"Well, us two-" Harry laughed, "Seamus, Dean, Neville, Hermione, Lavender, Parvati, and some other girls in our year, and then everyone in the other years."

Merlin nodded. "That's quite a lot."

Harry grinned. "And we're all awesome."

Arthur and Ron both laughed, sounding almost exactly the same. That seemed to freak them out a bit, and they stared at each other.

The door opened again, revealing a girl with bushy brown hair, who was clutching some books. "Harry, Ron, I found-" She stopped looking surprised. "Oh, hello. Who are you?"

Merlin smiled at her. "I'm Merlin, and this is Arthur."

Hermione's eyes widened. "Were you named after the great wizard Merlin?"

Merlin looked a little surprised, but nodded. "And he was named after King Arthur. Our dads thought it'd be a laugh."

Hermione giggled slightly. "Oh, you're related. I thought perhaps you might be."

"We're cousins." Arthur interjected again, pleased with his one piece of knowledge. "And we used to go to Durmstrang."

Hermione nodded. "Oh. That's lovely."

"Hermione used to have a boyfriend who went there-"

"Oh, be quiet, Ron!"

Ron grinned, looking pleased with himself. Harry just rolled his eyes behind his glasses.

"It's nearly dinner time. We should go down to the Great Hall."

"Great Hall?"

"Where we have dinner." Harry sighed. These boys certainly had a lot to learn about Hogwarts. After five years, it was all second nature to him, and he'd forgotten what it was like to be new in the grand castle.

* * *

"Wow." Merlin said as they went through the double doors. The hall, large and certainly great, was in front of them, filled with students eating dinner. The windows were tall, stretching right up to the ceiling- if there was one. As the young warlock looked up, all he saw were stars and clouds, blocking whether there was actually a roof or not. Candles floated high above the students' heads as they sat at long tables together, and the walls were a soft brown-gold.

"Come on then." Harry said, turning around and grinning at the warlock and prince, who had stopped in their tracks to stare. "You'll get used to it."

Merlin grinned, following the boy to a table filled with Gryffindors. Ron and Hermione were already sitting down, bickering over something. Hogwarts was wonderful.


	3. Chapter 3

"So, umm... what exactly is Transfiguration?"

Harry and Hermione looked at Merlin as they went down the corridor towards their first lesson of the day. Ron and Arthur- who'd found a book on Quidditch, and decided he definitely wanted to be involved in this exciting sport- were talking about brooms a little way behind them.

"Transfiguration is changing objects, animals or humans into other things." Harry explained. "Didn't you learn it at Durmstrang?"

Merlin shook his head. "No." He hoped Hermione hadn't looked up the school. He didn't need her unravelling their story.

Hermione looked at him curiously. "Well, you'll have a lot to learn. Though you seem a little more capable than your Quidditch-mad cousin." She looked back at the two boys, smiling slightly. "Professor McGonagall will help you if you're stuck."

It was certainly an interesting class, he discovered. He and Arthur were placed at the front of class "so you can learn better" but all Arthur was really interested in was Quidditch, the possibility of going to the massive lake outside ("is it true there's really a giant squid in there?"), and Defence Against the Dark Arts ("that sounds like swordfighting." he'd stated when Harry told them about it.)

Merlin, however, was keen to learn. Back in Camelot, where for most of his life he'd had to learn magic secretly, he found that there was very little magical resource left in the legendary city. But here, in the greatest magic school of all time, he could learn endless spells and enchantments, as well as how the future would turn out. He could help Camelot, then. Coming here- as much of an accident as it was- was a brilliant idea.

Professor McGonagall interrupted his train of thought by speaking. "Today," she said with her charming accent that Merlin couldn't place, but liked it anyway, "we will be continuing our study of Animagi. Now, you should all know this, but what is an Animagus?"

Hermione's hand shot up at the desk to the left of Merlin and Arthur's.

"Miss Granger?"

"An Animagus is a human who can change into an animal at will. It isn't chosen by the witch or wizard, but defined by their personality."

"Very good. Five points to Gryffindor."

The lesson was much the same, simply studying Animagi and how wizards and witches can learn to become one. Arthur gave up listening halfway through, doodling broomsticks and lions in his textbook, but Merlin listened intently. The very idea of being able to switch from human to creature fascinated him as much as the odd clothing and ways magic seemed to ease life around here. He'd even seen a perky fifth-year - Colin, Harry had called him - holding an odd contraption named a 'camera'.

He barely noticed the bell ring, until Professor McGonagall dismissed them. Looking over his map- Professor Dumbledore thought perhaps it would be a good idea to have one- he followed Harry to Defence Against the Dark Arts, Arthur chattering excitedly in his ear.

* * *

"Alright, remember your essay's due in next week-" Professor Lupin chuckled at the fourth-years' groans- "and I'll see you tomorrow."

He started to rub the lesson's work off of the board as the class left, one by one. It was barely a minute later that the next class filed in, this time sixth-years.

He smiled at the students he usually saw- Harry, Ron, Hermione, Seamus and Dean all arrived together, he noted- before noticing two new pupils.

They looked suspiciously like the two men he'd found unconscious in the corridor. He racked his brain for a reason, looking curiously at the small blonde and his taller, ebony-haired friend, before remembering what Dumbledore had explained. These boys were Merlin and Arthur.

He smiled warmly at them. "You two must be Arthur and Merlin, is that correct?"

Merlin nodded slightly, suddenly shy, but Arthur seemd a little more confident.

"We're new." he announced happily. Remus resisted the urge to bang his head on the wall and simply smiled.

"I know," he said. "There's two seats left at the back, if you'd like to sit there."

Merlin smiled shyly, before Arthur grinned and dragged him to the back, plopping down in a seat and talking excitedly about something. Merlin seemed more curious about the room than interested in what his friend was saying. Remus chuckled, seeing the two legends acting as the two excited teenagers they'd now become, and began the lesson.

* * *

"That was awesome!" Arthur said as they left the room, carrying his own bag for once, if slightly lopsided on his shoulder.

"Awesome?"

"It means good, well, very good. Ron told me."

Merlin nodded. "Right." Arthur seemed to, ironically, be adjusting to this magical world better than he was. The huge castle, as brilliant as it was, slightly intimidated him, and it hurt knowing that every other student in the school had the gift he'd always thought was almost unique to him in Camelot- being born with magic. It was so common here, it felt as though he was just another boy wandering the halls aimlessly, until he could go home.

"Merlin, are you listening?"

Arthur's voice shook him from his thoughts. "Yes."

"What did I say?"

He still had his bossy streak, Merlin noticed. "That you're a clotpole."

"You could be in the stocks for that-" Arthur laughed, before stopping as he realised he couldn't inflict his usual threat on Merlin. They were both silent for a moment. Hogwarts was wonderful, but they missed Camelot.


	4. Chapter 4

_Isn't it beautiful, _Merlin thought one quiet night a few days later, _the moon._

The full moon was reflecting on the calm lake, the only movement coming from the squid silently gliding under the surface. The dark sky littered with stars and the shining moon reminded Merlin of the nights he used to spend by the Lake of Avalon, the trees swishing comfortingly above him.

He wished they were there now. Looking up, all he could see was the sloping ceiling above his window, and all he could hear was the quiet sounds of the other boys breathing heavily in their sleep. Until-

"You like to see the moon too, huh?" a whisper sounded in his ear. It took a lot of willpower not to jump about five foot in the air, before he realised it was only Neville. He nodded, looking back outside.

Neville was quiet for a moment, still dressed in his school uniform, as Merlin was. Both of them seemed to have a hard time sleeping.

"Homesick?" Neville asked, in the same whisper. Merlin nodded; it wasn't a lie, but wouldn't give away the truth either.

"What about you?"

Neville looked away. "Just the same as always. My parents, my grandmother, you know."

Merlin was unsure of what to say. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

They were both silent for a moment, gazing out into the grounds of the school, before something moved out there.

"What was-"

Neville quietened as the thing moved into the moonlight, exposing the shape of a person. They couldn't quite see who it was, but they were headed for the Whomping Willow.

"They're going to get themselves killed!"

But the person grabbed a long stick, and roughly jabbed the tree. _How will that help?_ Merlin wondered. The tree, however, stopped moving, as though every twig and every leaf had been turned to stone, not even fluttering in the light breeze.

The person dashed forward, as if racing the frozen tree, towards the base of the trunk, and promptly disappeared. Neville looked at Merlin as he turned back to him, eyes wide.

"What was that all about?"

Merlin paused. "No idea." A flame was igniting in his mind; that same curious, mischievous fire that he hadn't felt since he'd left Camelot. "Let's go and find out."

* * *

"I still don't think this is a good idea."

"Relax, Neville, it'll be fine."

There was a pause, as the two boys trudged across the grass, faces shining in the moonlight.

"I didn't have you down as a troublemaker." Neville said, slightly hesitant. "I always thought your cousin was more like that. You seemed quieter."

Merlin was silent for a moment. Neville really had no idea. But it reminded him of the fact he was out here, adventuring - with someone who wasn't Arthur. That was another bittersweet contrast between Camelot and Hogwarts.

"Well, I'm usually the quiet one. But Arthur's asleep."

"That's true."

They'd reached the tree by this point, standing a safe distance away from the once again thrashing plant.

"How are we going to-"

"One second."

Stepping forward slightly, just out of reach, Merlin tried to remember the spell he'd usually used to freeze things.

"_Rhewi yw fy gorchymyn._" he said, his eyes flashing the same fire-filled gold as they always used to. Neville, who had now stepped beside him, gaped at him as the tree froze.

"How did you- what?"

Merlin shrugged. "I just used to do magic like that. Without a wand, I mean."

Neville stared after him, as he paced around the tree, searching for a passageway. There was a small gap at the base of the trunk, and Merlin grinned, gesturing for Neville to follow.

As they drew nearer, it seemed that there was a tunnel in the gap. It looked just big enough for someone to crawl through, and so they did. Merlin went first, with Neville following quickly behind, down the dark and earthy tunnel.

It seemed they were walking forever - the tunnel had gotten bigger as they crawled, expanding enough to walk whilst crouching - before they saw a dim light at the end. Merlin grinned, looking back at Neville as they reached the end.

"We're here."


	5. Chapter 5

The light at the end of the tunnel - literally - was flickering, a soft warm glow against the room they were in. This room wasn't quite so welcoming. It looked as though no-one had been in it for years, with cobwebs trailing from wall to wall and most furniture destroyed. Merlin wondered what could have caused all the damage. It certainly wasn't ghosts.

The candle was the only sign of life, embers occasionally fluttering down from the wall sconce only to be snuffed out by the draught before hitting the ground. Neville was a little behind Merlin, standing still and looking around. The warlock turned back to him, and gestured towards the dark staircase in the corner of the room.

Then, there was a crash from upstairs, and what sounded like a howl. Merlin glanced back at Neville, his own sudden panic reflected in his companion's expression.

"We should go back." Neville said, starting to retreat. "It's not safe, that's - that's a werewolf."

Merlin considered this. In all his years in Camelot, facing dragons and witches and giant scorpions, he'd never met a werewolf. Gaius' voice echoed in his head. _Merlin, _it said, _this isn't safe. Go back._

He stepped forward.

He could almost feel Neville's fear, but curiosity had got the better of him. He wanted to see this werewolf. He could add it to his _List of Things I Didn't Think I'd See But I Have _that he'd been mentally keeping since he came to Camelot.

Heading towards the staircase, everything seemed eerily quiet. Neville's slow, careful footsteps behind him as well as his own were the only sounds, except the odd sounds from upstairs.

Merlin gingerly stepped onto the bottom step, wincing as it creaked noisily. He took another step, then another, and another - and soon enough, he found himself halfway up the staircase, Neville close behind.

There was a closed door at the top, with flickering light behind it much akin to the one formerly at the end of the tunnel. Merlin glanced back at Neville again, looking for some sort of encouragement to finally open the door and see what was behind it. He was suddenly worried. What if he hurt himself, or his friend?

He got no such encouragement, but still found his hand on the copper doorknob, gently twisting it and pushing the rotting wood open.

At first, it seemed the same as the rest of the house. Rotting, abandoned, and not housing any dangerous creatures. Then Merlin noticed the scratches and bite marks on the furniture, the missing planks on the floor every now and again, and the smashed window.

He looked around the room, not seeing anything at first, before he noticed it. Something was curled up in the corner of the room, shaking slightly. Merlin squinted, looking closer at the werewolf. It didn't look dangerous to him. Just... sad. Lonely, even. He started to approach it.

"Merlin, what are you doing?" Neville hissed from behind him. Merlin took no notice, continuing towards it.

The werewolf looked up suddenly, meeting Merlin's gaze. It whimpered slightly and looked away, towards the remains of the window. Merlin frowned, following its line of sight. It must be nearing dawn by now.

"Neville, it's going to get light soon, we've got to go-"

Neville turned around, too quickly. He tried to regain his balance, but tripped on a gap in the flooring, hitting the door as he fell.

Merlin went to help him, and as they stood up again, Neville groaned. "The door..."

It was closed, and when Merlin tried to open it, it was locked. He scowled, getting his wand out. "Alohamora!"

He'd expected the lock to click open again, but for some reason, that hadn't happened. Groaning, he turned to face Neville again, who looked a little annoyed with himself.

"How are we going to get out?"

Neville glanced nervously back at the werewolf. "Um. Maybe they'll know... once they've transformed."

Merlin swallowed. He'd forgotten about that. Whoever this werewolf was, they were going to be a little irritated with the two boys.


End file.
